Lost in the woods
by Ivycat
Summary: Takes up after Elena jumped from the speeding car to escape from the possessed Damon after the torture scene in the woods.


_This is dedicated to Bethy, who had the flu and begged me to "Write a story about my new vampire book." Even though I had never read the book before. But now I have, and Bethy, this is for you, from your oldest cousin_.

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Book World "**The Return: Nightfall" Takes up after Chapter 26. When Elena leaps from a possessed Damon's car when he was being controlled by the Malach**

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**All characters are the property of the author L.J. Smith. I do not own them, or make a profit from this (unless you count a hug profitable…) No copyright infringement is intended.**

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I hurt.

I was confused, disoriented, lost… I had read enough books when I was younger to know that in the equation of life those four determining factors usually equaled just one conclusion.

Death.

I paused, my eyes searching for a landmark, but there was none to be found. My breath came in puffs, I had to keep moving, to get away from Damon.

I was going in circles, no, I was going in circles inside of circles. I was not aware of the exact amount of time that had elapsed since I had in desperation to escape Damon, jumped from his speeding car, but i knew it was too long, I should have come out of the other side of the Old Wood by now, or come upon the Dunstan's house.

My arm throbbed and pulsated in pain from the make-shift crutch splintering and slowly working wood slivers into the sensitive skin of my under arm.

"_Matt, I must get help for Matt."_

I took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. I was sure it was all but hopeless; I had been circling in the woods for so long I was loosing hope of finding my way out and returning with help.. But what else was I going to do, sit down and cry?

The pain grew with every step. My foot that had been injured in the jump started to lag behind ever so slowly, as if it was giving up, refusing my demands. The forest started to flicker before my eyes, I felt myself shaking. I was losing blood fast. I was moving slower now, my body was beginning to rebel from the punishing treatment it had been forced to endure.

I started forward, gritting my teeth in determination, picturing Matt's body on the ground, thrown down by Damon like a discarded child's toy.

"_Just one more step, just one more step, just one more step…"_

I repeated this mantra to myself as I struggled, forcing my body to ignore the crippling pain. There was a roaring in my ears, my stomach threatened to regurgitate my last meal.

Then I ran into a woody creeper that was shin high. I never saw it.

I did not even see it as I was falling.

I did not see it when I made contact with the ground and felt a pain so deep and absolute that I had no breath with which to scream.

It was only when I was on my back, stranded; when my crutch seemed as if it was caught in a malevolent current as it moved away from me, born on the tendrils of creepers,that I saw it, firmly wrapped around two trees as if it desired to trip unwary travelers. It was getting hard to breathe; the creepers were winding around my body, crushing me. Slithering over me like serpents, but constricting quickly, tightening painfully.

I tore at them, dry sobbing, I could feel new pain as I ripped two fingernails off. That was funny; I did not think it was possible to hurt more. The tiny micro-hairs on the greenery made it seem as if I were tangling with a beast that was attempting to strangle me, not a seemingly innocuous plant.

I sent what Power I had left in me to try and send a message to help to Matt. There was not enough left to get help for myself, but it did not matter, it would not be in time anyway… Would Bonnie hear me?

"_Stefan. Stefan. Stefan."_

I was dying, I knew it, but I had been dead before and it was not so bad, maybe ….

Still struggling to free myself my fingers twitched uselessly against the creepers as strength ebbed out of me. I took a gasping breath, once, twice, my chest straining to expand and receive life-giving air.

Darkness closed in on me.

I was hovering in the air, looking down in pity at the crumpled, damaged Elena on the ground.

I saw her gasping, knew that she was suffering, but somehow, I was apart from it, I was light, a gossamer thread on the wind, free. I hovered a moment above the body helplessly, I knew that I could go back down. Being apart was wrong somehow... But I did not want the pain I knew was waiting when I returned.

I lifted my eyes to the sky, but it was not there, it was all wrong somehow. The stars were blurred and distorted, as if I was looking through a drinking glass. It was in that one moment I lost forever the chance to find peace, if peace there was to be had without Stefan.

It was stolen from me by the Voice.

There was a shouting in the distance, far away. A Voice was calling, pulling at me. I fought it; it was too cruel to make me return. Someone was running to the Elena, kneeling beside her, tearing off the binding creepers, calling to her. I felt sorry for him, he seemed so sad, desperate.

I felt myself being drawn back, I struggled, but to avail, "The Voice" was pitiless. I fought, I tried so hard to fight it. But He was stronger.

In an instant I was back, unwillingly drawn back to the Elena figure on the ground.

I cried.

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_I know that a lot of things are not cannon, please point out errors and I will correct them. Love you Bethy, feel better soon! Chapter 2 if you still feel bad and want it!_


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